Epitome of Beauty
by WishingDreamer5
Summary: When Zack visits Aerith once again, Aerith learns something new: how soothing it is to have someone running their hands through her hair. How could anyone resist something so sedative? But Zack learns a thing or two, too...


**A/N: It's been a while since I wrote something for this pairing, so I decided to give it a try again.**

**Thanks: M. L. Ayala, my beta reader.**

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><p><em>~ How could someome resist this when it was so sedative? ~<em>

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><p>It was drizzling outside, which meant that it was peacefully silent in the slums, with nobody outside. Thanks to the rain, the place around the old church now had a nice, cool temperature; it was not too cold, nor too warm. It smelled like fresh plants here, too. Aerith absolutely loved that smell, because it reminded her of a new beginning, a rebirth, a fresh new start. It was really pleasant and refreshing, since she had been tending the flowers all day and that had made her pretty tired.<p>

Fortunately for her, Zack was here to keep her company. That alone made her feel extremely safe. After all, had he not literally been a gift from heaven? She absolutely loved having him around, simply because he always managed to make her smile and feel truly happy about everything.

Inside the church, there was serenity itself. The way that the light fell through the huge stained glass windows, gave a holy effect to the building. It was as if it was just the two of them, yet, at the same time, she could feel the presence of something much bigger. Something that was watching over them, making sure that both of them would be safe.

She had missed him very much. Admittedly, neither of them said anything at the moment, but their presence and the way their warm skin was brushing against each other, was enough for now.

Aerith gave him a sidelong glance, her emerald green eyes resting on his face. Zack was staring at the floor in front of him, looking deep in thought. She thought back to what happened last time Zack had visited her. To put it lightly: he had been worn. She had done all the talking and as soon as he had put his head in her lap (yes, that sudden action had surprised her, too!) and Aerith had started playing with his hair a little (spiky, yet soft to the touch), he had fallen asleep. He had been so embarrassed when he had woken up again, that Aerith couldn't help but smile at the memory. He was so adorable sometimes.

Later, he had said that he had fallen asleep because she had been running her hands through his hair. He had told her that even as a child, he used to get extremely sleepy as soon as his mother would do that.

"But I'm not your mother, Mr. Fair," Aerith had noted, thoroughly amused, because it had caused him to blush even more.

"I know, but... you're just as gentle and sweet," he had admitted softly, looking away...

"What's with the smile?" Zack suddenly asked, from next to her.

Aerith blinked, slowly returning to reality. She turned her head and smiled up at him, not able to look away from those amazing, glowing blue eyes, a result of mako and a mark of SOLDIER. They were more than just mesmerizing. Sometimes, they made her feel as if she was slowly drowning in them and she didn't even mind that.

"Nothing. I just thought about last time you visited me," she replied, before he had the chance to lean in and give her an even better look, like he had done last time.

Zack immediately knew what she meant with that and swiftly looked away. "Oh..."

He had probably started blushing, too.

"You look really sweet when you're asleep," she admitted with a soft, almost melodious laugh.

"Thanks, I guess..." It was silent for a while, until Zack broke it again, asking, "Do you sleep with your hair in a braid or do you let your hair loose?"

Aerith gave him a funny look, wondering where _that_ had come from. Sometimes, Zack asked the strangest questions. "No... Well, maybe only sometimes."

"I see..." He hesitated, before continuing with, "I've always wondered what that would look like. Could you, I mean..."

"Let my hair loose?" Aerith asked.

"...Yeah."

"Sure."

Zack watched Aerith with sincere interest, as she carefully pulled the pink hair ribbon (the one that Zack himself had bought for her, let's not forget that) out of her hair. With her fingers, she slowly combed through her own hair, so that the braid came loose and the soft curls slowly cascaded down her shoulders.

"Wow," was all Zack could say, completely awestruck.

He softly ran his hand through her hair, marveled at how velvety and silky smooth it felt underneath his fingers. He could smell her lovely shampoo of tropical orchid and some kind of sweet fruit that overwhelmed him. It was then that Aerith noticed that he wasn't wearing his gloves.

"Do you like it?" Aerith asked, mildly surprised.

"I love it," he whispered, truthfully.

Aerith hummed, before she admitted, "You know, sometimes I wish I didn't have curls, but straight hair. It would make things so much easier."

"What?" Zack couldn't believe that she was saying that. "But your hair is perfect! It's beautiful and... I love curls."

_Seriously, if I had been a girl, then I would have wished to have her hair_, Zack thought.

"Really?"

Aerith thought that he said "yes," or maybe that he added "Especially yours," but she wasn't too sure, because the way he was running his hand through her hair was too soothing. It made her relax and forget about her surroundings, as if she was floating on a soft, fluffy cloud, high in the sky where no bird could reach her.

Suddenly, she could easily relate to why Zack felt so incredibly sleepy whenever someone played with his hair. How could someone resist this when it was so sedative? And the soft, easeful sound of rain in the background, splashing on the tiles outside, only added more effect to it.

Wow, she really was tired, she noted. Her eyes were slowly drooping and there wasn't anything she could do about it. Not that she wanted to do something about it. Resting her head on Zack's shoulder, - his shoulder was so solid! The perfect pillow for her - she closed her eyes and opted to listen to his breathing and heartbeat. The SOLDIER put an arm around her to keep her warm and leaned back against the back of one of the church benches. Aerith sighed happily at the simple touch.

A few minutes later, when he was fairly sure that she had fallen asleep next to him, he brushed a stray bang out of her angelic face and put a blanket that he had found around her. This would keep her warm when he left.

He watched her for a while, a smile appearing on his face. She really looked like an angel this way. Perhaps she was one. It wasn't hard for Zack to define beauty at all, because thanks to Aerith he had learned the truth meaning of beauty. Aerith was the epitome, the definition of true beauty. In fact, he couldn't help but fall in love with her...

Finally standing up, careful as not to wake her up, Zack gave her one last loving glance, before walking towards the exit. He hated to leave her behind like that, but he really had to go. Tomorrow would be a big day. It was a good thing that he was sure that she would be safe, otherwise he would have started to worry about her all the time.

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><p>Almost two full hours later, the pretty young woman woke up from a particularly nice dream. She slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed, was that it was deliciously warm thanks to the blanket that someone had draped around her. At once, she looked around, expecting to find Zack somewhere near her. When she saw that the place was deserted, she couldn't help but feel bitterly disappointed, because when would be the next time she would see him again?<p>

She sighed. "Oh well, it was great as long as his visit lasted. Maybe next time - if I don't fall asleep, that is - I can make him stay a little longer," she spoke, to no one in particular.


End file.
